Immortal Secrets
by ArtemisFrimm
Summary: What if Zoe wasn't the only one to have bad experiences with Hercules. Artemis has a secret she has kept for over a thousand years. What happens if the only other being to know her secret comes back to haunt her. On hiatus,  with this story only  sorry
1. Chapter 1

No, I'm not done with my Bows swords lightening bolts stories, I just really wanted to try something new while typing that as well. Italics are flashbacks, I know there is alot of flashbacks this chapter, but I just wanted to clarify everything that happened... Enjoy

~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble ;)

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Artemis was walking calmly through a forest located in Colorado. Though she appeared calm, she knew that she was being followed. She wasn't sure who or what was following her, but she knew she was being followed.

Artemis recognized the feeling instantly, almost as soon as she had left her hunters' camp. When she had lived in Greece, she was used to men from local cities trying to follow her; although, when they followed her, she could feel a strong sense of lust. But whoever or whatever was following her now, wasn't feeling lustful at all. This being felt dangerous, and angry, that's what worried her, even though she wouldn't let it show.

Artemis continued her walk, showing no signs of knowing she was being followed. She wanted to catch her stalker off guard; she hoped that if she appeared ignorant to the threat, her stalker would show himself; allowing Artemis to deal with him herself.

Artemis continued on further when she froze, the threatening force that had been following her was no longer present. Artemis furrowed her brow, something was definitely not right

_SNAP!_

Artemis whipped around in the direction of the 'snap' and was startled to see that no one was behind her.

"Well, Artemis I see that your hunter skills haven't faded with time." An eerily familiar voice spoke from behind her.

Artemis turned around to face the man who had spoken and felt her heart nearly stop with shock. _There's no way…_

The man smirked at her obviously surprised expression, "Hello Artemis."

Artemis recomposed herself as best as possible and tried to put on a cheerful expression, even though on the inside her mind was reeling at warp speed, "Hello Hercules."

He looked no different than he had the day she had… She remembered the first time she had seen him…

"_Artemis, Lord Zeus wishes to see you." Hermes said as he appeared by her side as she sharpened her arrows._

_Artemis cocked her head to the side, "Why would he wish to see me?" _

_Hermes shrugged, "He told me to tell you to see him as soon as you receive this message."_

_Artemis let out a light sigh and began making her way to find the lord of the sky. She had a lovely day hunting and was looking forward to some rest while in Olympus._

_Artemis soon realized why Zeus had called for her once she passed Lady Hera's rooms. The chaste goddess stopped in her tracks when she heard loud shouting followed by the shattering of what Artemis could only assume was a vase. She vaguely heard Lady Demeter's voice as she tried calming Zeus's wife down, but Hera just continued shouting and cursing her husband. _

_Artemis shook her head, Lord Zeus must have had another affair with another mortal woman. She sighed and continued on her way until she reached her father's rooms._

_The inside of the room was warm, and candles were dimly lit around the room. Zeus and a woman Artemis had never seen before stood over a small cradle._

_Artemis cleared her throat, and Zeus and the mortal woman turned to face him. Zeus nodded, "Artemis, good you are here, you got my message I assume?"_

_Artemis gave him a nod; she could feel the woman's eyes watching her carefully. "You requested to see me father?"_

_Zeus nodded, "Yes, but first, Artemis, have you met Princess Alcmene?" he asked indicating to the fair haired woman who was still staring at her with an intense gaze._

_Artemis shook her head, "No."_

_Zeus frowned, "Oh, well, she is the mother of my son."_

"_If you do not mind me asking Lord Zeus, but why am I here?" Artemis asked bluntly. _

"_We have asked you here in hopes that you will bless our child my lady." Alcmene answered. Her voice was nasally and Artemis had a strong urge to shoot her._

_Zeus nodded, "Come see him. He will make an exceptional god one day."_

_Artemis frowned at the older god's obvious fondness over the boy, but proceeded over to the cradle to view the infant she was being asked to bless._

_The baby, who had been smiling just moments before, frowned when it saw Artemis. Artemis frowned as well, though she was the patron goddess of children, she found an instant disliking towards this child. The baby's eyes were very dark, and seemed to glare up at her through short blonde lashes._

"_Well, Lady Artemis, isn't he beautiful?" Alcmene asked in her nasally voice._

"_It looks as though it was possessed by Hades." Artemis answered coldly causing Alcmene to let out a sob._

_Zeus glared at his daughter, "Artemis."_

_Artemis ignored his glare, "Seeing as the child is my father's, I will bless your child." She said to the weeping Alcmene._

_Alcmene glanced up through tear-stained lashes, and hastily bowed on her knees and kissed Artemis's feet. Artemis frowned and moved away from the praising mortal._

"_Stand up Alcmene."_

_Alcmene nodded and hastily stood up and walked over to Zeus's side, he smiled and wrapped his arm around her._

_Artemis tried to ignore the repulsion she felt when she looked at the baby, as she prepared to give her blessing, "What is the baby's name?" she asked, avoiding looking at both Zeus and Alcmene._

"_Hercules." Zeus answered softly as he stared fondly at Alcmene and the baby._

_That night, Zeus and Alcmene had awoken to find Hercules playing with two dead serpents in his cradle. He had been saved by Artemis's blessing…_

"You look younger than the last time I saw you." Hercules said casually, as if he was engaging in a conversation with an old friend.

Artemis glared at him, "I tend to get that a lot."

Hercules nodded, "Well, you must be curious as to how I'm back."

Artemis shook her head, "I could honestly care less." She answered in a bored tone even though she was very curious as to why and how he was back.

Hercules frowned as if he was offended, "Really? You aren't curious in the slightest? It's a very interesting tale; I'm surprised you wouldn't like to hear it."

Artemis shrugged, "I'll pass."

"Aren't you at least curious as to hear all that has happened to me after I died?"

"Not really, I don't intend on hearing your petty excuse for committing suicide." Artemis answered coolly.

"You know damn well that I never killed myself." Hercules growled.

_Almost fifteen years after the young Hercules had killed the two serpents, Artemis was walking alone in a forest along the edge of Crete. She had been hunting after a wild boar that had been rampaging through Crete, only to have it so narrowly escape her. She replayed the hunt over and over again in her head, memorizing every small mistake she had made while on the chase._

_Suddenly a cry of distress broke her train of thoughts. It was a female cry, and it sounded like the cry of her lieutenant Aella. Rushing towards the sound of the cry, Artemis nearly ran into a young man around fifteen or sixteen years of age, not looking much older than the goddess appeared to look._

_Artemis instantly drew her long silver bow and aimed it at the male intruder; his startling dark eyes looked slightly familiar. "Who are you male, and what are you doing in these woods?"_

_The boy smirked at her, "So you are a hunter as well? I ran into one of your little friends just a ways back. She did not seem to agree with me and was quite rude. Not to worry hunter, I taught her some manners."_

_Artemis's eyes widened a fraction and she prepared to release her arrow when the boy stopped her, "I would not recommend doing that huntress, for I am Hercules, the son of Zeus, and if you were to strike me dead, Zeus would instantly strip you of life and send you to Tartarus."_

"_He would not do so to his own daughter." Artemis answered._

_Hercules gave her a cocky grin, "I do not know he seems to especially favor me, maybe if he stripped you of your immortality I would be permitted to take your place as a god."_

_Before Artemis could answer, she heard another distressed cry from her lieutenant. Artemis ran away from Hercules and found Aella lying in the center of a clearing._

_Aella's face and arms were bloody and a large gash ran across the length of her chest. "My lady… the boy… he… he," she let out a ragged cough as she struggled for air._

_Artemis silenced her, "Shhh, Aella you will be fine." Artemis said in almost a pleading tone._

"_I'm sorry my lady." Aella winced as she took her last shuttering breath before she died._

_Artemis closed her eyes and let a small tear be shed for her departed friend. She then whispered out a blessing ensuring her trip to Elysium quick and painless…_

_A few years later, Artemis heard from Hermes that Hercules had gotten married to a woman by the name of Meagre. They had a family, and that was the last Artemis heard of Hercules until one night, Artemis heard three desperate prayers for her._

_The first was from Meagre, and the other two were from Hercules's children. They prayed for her to save them from Hercules who had gone mad and was trying to strangle all of them._

_When Artemis arrived at the home of the family, she found a much older Hercules huddled in a corner surrounded by three mangled bodies._

_To atone for his crime, Apollo ordered Hercules to perform Twelve Labors that would benefit human kind. It was then that Artemis encountered Hercules for the third time._

_She had been walking calmly through the forests of Cerynaea. A small group of hunting dogs followed her around happily, and she played with the golden hinds native only to the forest. She smiled as her favorite; a young fawn that she named Callidora pranced around her feet and chewed at her dress._

_Suddenly, the snap of a twig startled the hinds away. Artemis went to investigate what had made the sound, when she heard the sharp twang of an arrow being released._

_Artemis raced back to the edge of a river to see her fawn, her little Callidora shot in the leg and lying limply on the ground. Artemis rushed to her little fawn's side, but was instantly shoved away by a pair of strong hands._

_Hercules stood over her. When he recognized the goddess he smirked, "Ah, Lady Artemis, I hope I have not disturbed you."_

"_Why have you shot my fawn?" Artemis asked in a dangerous tone._

_Hercules frowned, "Why, my beautiful goddess, do you not know? I must bring back a golden deer to King _**_Eurystheus_**_as part of the twelve labors I am to perform."_

"_You will release my fawn or you will feel my wrath Hercules, I do not care if you are a son of Zeus of not, you will pay the price."_

_Hercules frowned, "What if, I bring it to King Eurystheus and as soon as he sees it, I release it back into this forest."_

_Artemis frowned and agreed, but little did she know that as soon as the King saw that hind, Hercules would sacrifice her fawn to her Zeus. When Artemis told him of the deal she and Hercules had, Zeus had told her that it had been sacrificed justly and that there were many hinds in Cerynaea to replace the one she lost._

_Almost a year later, Artemis heard of Hercules name once again. He had completed the Twelve Labors and was treated almost as a god. Artemis had been exploring around the Garden of the Hesperides. According to Hermes, one of the Hesperides had been kicked out from the garden; she had been shamed for helping out a hero. It wasn't until Artemis stumbled across a young girl, somewhere between the age of fourteen and sixteen, did she believe Hermes rumor._

_The girl had long dark hair and olive skin; she looked like a Persian princess from the east. She had obviously been crying, her face was blotchy and her eyes were puffy._

_Artemis knelt beside the girl, "What is your name?"_

_The girl sniffed, "My name is Zoë. Zoë Nightshade."_

_Artemis nodded, "Well Zoë, why are you here by yourself. Why are you not in the Garden of the Hesperides?"_

_Zoë sniffed again, "I have deceived thy father to help a man by the name of Hercules collect a golden apple. My father removed my immortality as a Hesperide, and as soon as Hercules had his apples, he left me here to die. I have no where to go."_

_Artemis frowned; Hercules was going to feel her vengeance eventually. "Zoë, my name is Artemis, I am the goddess of the hunt and moon. How would you like to be my lieutenant for my hunters?"_

_Zoë agreed and the two became fast friends. Zoë forgot about Hercules, and for a while Artemis did too, that is until she met Orion._

_Artemis and Orion had been seeing each other for almost a year when Hercules by accident discovered their secret. He told Apollo, and enraged about his sister's secret meeting with the son of Poseidon, Apollo tricked Artemis into shooting her one and only lover. _

_Hercules had confronted her after his death, and he mocked her openly, it was then that she planned her revenge._

_It was a late night, and Artemis knew just where Hercules was going to be. She met him in a small forest outside of Athens…_

"Oh really, because how I remember, you killed yourself." Artemis snapped at him, coming back to the present.

Hercules growled at her and pulled out a large dagger, "Oh really, so this doesn't look at all familiar to you?"

"That was the knife you used to murder Aella with." Artemis answered calmly.

Hercules face melted into a horrific snarl, "You also used this gods-damned knife to murder me with!"

_Hercules had smirked, "Lady Artemis, what pleasure brings you to see me in these secluded woods in the middle of the night." He asked seductively._

_Artemis put on a fake smile, "I was just wondering what you were doing here."_

_Hercules frowned, "I was just thinking."_

_Artemis nodded, and she reached for his knife, he caught her wrist, "What are you doing."_

_Artemis just put on a playful smile as she pulled her hand free, "I was just admiring your beautiful dagger." She said as she began to trace lines on his chest with the blade._

_Hercules smirked, "It is very wonderful is it not? It was a gift from my father, forged by the Cyclops."_

_Artemis nodded, "You must be a very lucky demigod." And she leaned in roughly causing the blade to plunge into his heart._

_Artemis removed her hands from the knife, they were stained red with his blood but she didn't care, she had gotten rid of the being who had caused her and so many of her loved ones pain. He would die very quickly._

_Hercules let out a wheezy breath as his hands reached up to the knife and pulled it out of his chest. He sunk to the ground with the dagger in his hands._

_Later that night, Artemis cleaned the blood off of her hands and dress, no one would suspect anything. The next day, a nymph had found his body, and though Zeus and a few of the other gods mourned, Artemis was relieved, he couldn't come back to torture her any more. No longer would he hurt Zoë or tug on her father's heartstrings to get what he wanted. _

_She had told no one of her atrocity. No one knew that she had killed Hercules other than herself and Hercules himself. She never even told her brother. The only other secret she had ever kept from him. She had assumed it would be forgotten and no one would ever find out…_

Artemis said nothing as he examined the knife. It wasn't until he laughed that she grew nervous, "Zeus will be so pleased to see his favorite child again."

"You were never his favorite." Artemis said honestly.

"Please, it's not like you were ever his favorite. And Zeus loves me more than Athena anyway. Athena may be his favorite daughter, but fathers always love their sons more so than their daughters. And I know Zeus; along with the other Olympians will be curious to find out how I died. And now I can tell them. For so long I've wanted to tell them, and now I can." He laughed again, "You know, I'm curious to see Zeus's reaction when I tell him that it was you who killed me. Well one way to find out. I'm going to tell him tomorrow." Hercules smirked, "by the way, good luck trying to kill me this time, Zeus will find out either way Artemis." He winked at her, "See you tomorrow."

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Tell me what'cha think.. Should I continue or just go back to just doing my series? Reviews are appreciated... Thanks!

~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! Yes this chapter is very short, but I have to go to bed so... Anyway, I hope you like it, once again, I seriously live off of reviews! Kinda like the song by Ke$ha, your love is my drug, except your reviews are my drug lol. I know weird, but I'm tired. Today was such an off day for me. I walked into the wrong classroom in the middle of class and everyone laughed at me... it was funn... anyway.. Hope you enjoy.**

**~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble;)  
**

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Artemis knew how annoying it could get watching someone pace. When people paced they were obviously distracted or troubled by something. She knew that watching someone pace was irritating because the pacer would never let on to what they were troubled or distracted about.

Right now Artemis knew that that was how her lieutenant felt as she watched Artemis pace back and forth from inside of her tent.

Thalia had realized something was wrong as soon as Artemis returned, but every time the daughter of Zeus would ask the goddess what was troubling her, Artemis would always brush her off. It was irritating enough watching her pace, but having Artemis brush Thalia off was just down right annoying. Artemis knew all of this, but she didn't want her hunters to know about Hercules, at least not right away.

_How could he be back? _Artemis knew for a fact that she had killed him, yet there he had been; back as if they were back in Greece almost over a thousand years ago.

She knew that he was going to tell her father, and Artemis knew that this would cause many problems. The relationship between her and her father had been anything but smooth, especially lately.

Now that the war against Kronos was over, Zeus was permitted to openly have more children. Artemis had been called to Olympus time and time again to give each individual child her blessing. Her father truly had no shame. He didn't care that he was hurting his wife, and that Hera, in turn would do anything in her being to make Artemis miserable.

Artemis realized on her last trip to Olympus that if she just refused to bless the child, Hera would give her no more trouble. Unfortunately there was also a downside to her plan; when she had refused to bless Zeus's most recent child, Zeus had just about had a heart-attack. He was furious. Naturally that did not help lower her stress level.

Not only did she have Zeus still mad at her for refusing to bless any more of his children, but she also had to deal with him constantly sending some of his immortal children to check in on Thalia. She had made a solid oath to keep Thalia safe at all costs. Keeping up with all of her father's demands was exhausting to say the least.

Artemis knew for a fact that Hercules told Zeus that it was she who had killed him; Zeus would very likely take away her immortality. Seeing as Zeus was the one who had made her an immortal goddess, he could just as easily take her immortality.

Hercules hadn't been lying (though Artemis desperately wished he had been) when he had said that he was Zeus's favorite child. Zeus had never been prouder of any of his children. Not even Athena could match the love Zeus had for Hercules.

Every time Hercules would do something wrong, even if it was almost cruel, Zeus would forgive the overly egotistic demigod. Zeus had always found a connection with the demigod that he had with none of his other children. The night before Artemis had killed him, Zeus had planned to hold a ceremony to make Hercules a god. She remembered the horrified look on her father's face to see Hercules, his pride and joy, dead.

Artemis was so completely lost in thought that she was almost unconscious as to where she was and what she was doing. Unfortunately for Thalia, she had to watch the goddess pace back and forth for what seemed like forever. Finally Thalia broke the irritating silence, "Lady Artemis, please stop pacing! Gods you're driving me insane!"

Artemis stopped and frowned at her lieutenant. Thalia was a good lieutenant, but it still was taking Artemis some time to get used to how different she was compared to her old lieutenant Zoë. Zoë would silently watch Artemis while she paced unlike Thalia, and Zoë would never dare to use the tone Thalia had just used with her. Thalia seemed to realize that what she said probably wasn't the smartest thing to say to a goddess. _At least one of Zeus's demigod children has some manners. _Thalia opened her mouth to apologize but Artemis cut her off, "There is no need to apologize Thalia. I'm sorry if my behavior is irritating but I just really need to think some things through right now."

Thalia looked slightly uncomfortable, "Is it anything you wish to confide in me?"

A ghost of a smile formed on Artemis's lips, "Not at the moment Thalia. I thank you for your loyalty. I just have something I really need to sort out right now. You have permission to leave."

Thalia sighed and prepared to stand up. Thalia knew enough about Artemis to know that by suggesting something, she was actually giving her an order.

Once Thalia had left her tent, Artemis knew that she was alone to consider her options. She could admit to the other gods that it was she who killed Hercules, but she figured that that probably wouldn't run by Zeus very well. She could wait for Hercules to tell the gods himself, but that would put her in almost a worse spot. _How could he possibly be back?_ Artemis shook her head, worrying about that shouldn't have been her biggest concern. The point was he was back and she would have to figure out a way to deal with him herself.

She could kill him again, but it had been hard enough pulling off his murder once. She had to keep one of her biggest, darkest secrets from everyone, even her own brother. She knew that she wouldn't be mentally able to go through with something like killing him again. And though she hated admitting it, Hercules was right; if she killed him again, the gods would surely figure out that it was she who had killed him. She couldn't risk being put in that position again.

The only other option she could think of was to confront Hercules himself. If she negotiated correctly, she could probably persuade him to keep the secret. She doubted it would work though, and she would have to deal with his rude remarks and comments. She decided that the latter decision would be the best. Dealing with the pompous ass the rest of her immortal life would be better than feeling Zeus's wrath.

She frowned, none of the choices pleased her, but she supposed negotiation would be the best solutions. She walked out of her tent and was surprised to see that the sun had fully set and the full moon had risen, illuminating the cold December night.

One of her younger hunters, Lindy, noticed Artemis and bounded over, "Lady Artemis, look!" she pointed up at the sky, Artemis noticed for the first time that small, powdery snow flakes fell from the sky, "It's the first snow of the season!"

Artemis smiled, although her smile did not match how she was feeling. "They are very beautiful aren't they Lindy?"

Lindy nodded and skipped over to the other hunters who were talking lightly by the fire.

Thalia walked over to Artemis, "Milady, how are you feeling?"

Artemis frowned, "I was never feeling ill Thalia, and I just had a lot on my mind." Artemis let out a sigh; she knew that her hunters would find out about Hercules sooner or later, "Thalia, can I ask you to come with me? I have to meet with someone to discuss some… issues."

"Does this meeting have anything to do with why you were so distant earlier?" Thalia asked curiously.

Artemis shrugged, "It may."

Thalia nodded, "Who will be in charge?"

Artemis glanced over at the hunters sitting by the fire, "Phoebe!" Artemis called to a muscular girl sitting by Lindy, "You are in charge for the evening until Thalia and I return."

Phoebe nodded and Artemis turned to Thalia, "Ready to go?"

Thalia nodded and followed Artemis as she led her through the dark Colorado woods. "Lady Artemis, where exactly are we going?"

Artemis frowned, "I'm not to sure actually."

Thalia frowned but followed the goddess anyway. "Well who are we meeting?"

Artemis turned and looked at Thalia with such a serious expression, that Thalia almost flinched involuntarily. "Who we are meeting with, isn't important, at least not at the moment. I'll tell you eventually Thalia, but not now."

Thalia nodded, and fell silent. Artemis felt slightly bad for snapping at her like that, but she didn't feel like telling anyone her secret just yet. They walked for a while when Artemis finally started picking up Hercules's trail. She followed it until she reached a small clearing.

A campfire was burning brightly in the center, and a large tent was set up a few feet away. Someone had been here recently; some of the logs on the fire hadn't even caught fire yet.

Suddenly the sound of metal rubbing on metal came from behind Artemis and she and Thalia found themselves with a large sword aimed at their throats.

Hercules grinned, "Come to visit me so soon huh Artemis?" he eyed Thalia up and down that made Artemis want to kill him then and there, but she refrained, "Who's your hot little friend?"

Thalia opened her mouth to tell the arrogant fool off, but Artemis interrupted her, "Show some respect you arrogant bastard. And she happens to be your half-sister."

Hercules smirked, "It doesn't seem as though you are in the position to be making insults Artemis, seeing as I could easily slit your throat right now."

Thalia looked from Artemis to Hercules, desperate for an answer. But neither Artemis nor Hercules gave her an answer. "We are here for peaceful negotiation; please just let me speak to you." Artemis said calmly even though on the inside she was boiling.

Hercules smirked and lowered his sword, "You're going to try to convince me not to tell the gods aren't you?"

"Wait, what is he going to tell the gods?" Thalia asked.

Hercules grinned evilly, "You haven't told her have you?"

Artemis shrugged, "It was irrelevant."

Thalia looked at Artemis, "Wait, what haven't you told me?" she looked at Hercules, "Who are you?"

Hercules held out his hand, "Hercules, favorite son of Zeus."

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**Yes uber ridiculously short, I hate it, but I have to get ready for bed so yea... Hopefully a double story update tomorrow. Remember, I'm madly in love with your kind reviews! Thanks again! Feedback is appreciated if kept in a nice-ish PG rated format... Thanks**

**~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble;)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! Guess what? I'm irritated :P k so fanfiction isn't sending emails anymore so I haven't been able to thank anyone soo I'm gonna do that now...**

**Emily a Huntress of Artemis- Thanks I've gone back and fixed that :) If you hadn't pointed it out I probably wouldn't have known about the thou thin ;)**

**umm- Thanks!**

**CoruptionToday- Just did buddy :)**

**Samigi- yes yes he is... IDK what's under those ** but I assume it is some swear word meaining more or less the same thing as jerkface :) **

**So yea, also this chapter is uber short and I'm very displeased about that... I'll try to update soon to make up for it :P yea idk how long fanfiction's gonna be funnky but until then this is how I will respond to reviews... Lame but whatever -_-**

**Hope you enjoy this uber short chapter... :)  
~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble ;)  
**

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Hercules held out his hand, "Hercules, favorite son of Zeus."

Artemis rolled her eyes. Thalia looked stunned and looked at Artemis, "Wha-"

Artemis sighed, "Thalia, I will inform you once we get back to our camp. Right now all I ask of you is to be quiet."

Hercules smirked and noticed Thalia's circlet, "Hey, didn't my precious little Zoë wear a circlet like that when she was lieutenant of your pathetic little sorority group? What happened? Did she break her oath and sleep with some loser, or did you kill her like you killed Orion?"

That was too much for Artemis. As fast as thought, she whipped out her dagger and held it to his throat. "Hercules, do not forget that I have killed you once, I have no trouble killing you a second time." Her eyes were slits, and Thalia could never remember seeing Artemis look so… frightening.

Hercules nodded his head slightly, a small grin forming on his face. Artemis couldn't stand him. How dare he not fear her? "So much for peaceful negotiation." He smirked.

Artemis was practically trembling with rage as she lowered her dagger.

Hercules frowned, "What? No apology? Artemis, that's not very nice."

"You had got what was coming." Artemis answered shortly. If he even tried to do what she thought he was going to do she would very likely lose it again.

A malicious gleam twinkled in the demigod's eyes, "If you want to talk, I'm afraid I will be in need of an apology."

Artemis took a deep breath. She needed to negotiate if she wanted to avoid upsetting her father. "Fine. I apologize. Now may we talk?"

Thalia couldn't believe what she was seeing. Why didn't she just kill him? _What isn't she telling me?_

Hercules grinned, "See, that wasn't so hard. Follow me."

Artemis was still trembling in cold hatred as she and Thalia followed him into his tent.

The interior of the tent was warm, and other than a small perfectly made cot in the corner, it was completely bare. Hercules sprawled out on his bed as if posing for the two hunters, and he gestured to the floor, "Sit."

"I'd prefer to stand." Artemis answered coldly.

Hercules shrugged, "Suit yourself." He looked at Thalia, he had a smirk on his lips and both Artemis and Thalia could tell that he was thinking very… _inappropriate _thoughts. "Thalia, care for a drink?"

Thalia glared at him, "No."

Artemis couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that Thalia, unlike most of Artemis's immortal half-sisters, could see through Hercules handsome looks and polite façade.

Hercules shrugged, "Artemis I'd assume you aren't thirsty."

"You assume correct."

"Are you sure, I've got beer, wine, rum, you name it I got it." He looked at Thalia again, "You look like a chick that'd like to let loose, have some fun, beer?"

Thalia's face grew red with anger, "I don't drink and I never will."

Hercules smirked, and though Thalia had only just met the legendary demigod, she was beginning to grow irritated by his pompous behavior.

He turned to Artemis, "So sweetie why'd you wanna meet with me?"

Artemis was ready to strangle him. She needed to calm down. If she was ever to negotiate with him and keep him on her side she would have to remain calm and try to ignore his aggravating remarks. "I've come here to ask that you not mention to Zeus what happened all of those years ago." Artemis said carefully.

Hercules face suddenly became more cold and serious, "And why shouldn't I tell him?"

Artemis closed her eyes and tried to keep her emotions in check, "Because if you told Zeus, that could very likely cause a very big problem."

Hercules shrugged, "What if that was my plan from the beginning?"

"Then you are a fool! Zeus as you are well aware does not take things lightly and this could cause serious problems Hercules!"

"Problems that you caused." Hercules pointed out. "Face it Artemis, you felt threatened by me being around so you killed me. You were jealous over the fact that you had been around for over a hundred years and you could never please Zeus, yet as soon as I came around I was instantly his favorite. You killed me off so there would be less competition."

"That's a lie! You were a monster! As the goddess of the hunt it was my job to kill monsters like you!"

"The only monster here is you! You've killed countless of people and I was just one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to come back and right the wrong that you did! Once Zeus find out about your atrocities he will have you cast into the Tartarus where you will rot for the rest of eternity. He'll make me a god in your stead, and I'll be the best god to ever walk this earth!" Hercules was now standing. He towered over the substantially shorter goddess who was trying her best not to feel intimidated by his words though she knew they were true.

Hercules pointed outside of the tent, "I'll ask you to leave."

Artemis glowered at him once more before making her way out into the harsh winter air; Thalia at her heels.

Artemis, not looking back, made her way through Hercules camp and entered the woods surrounding it. She faintly heard him call over the icy wind.

"Enjoy your last night as a goddess!"

After they were out of view of his camp, Thalia spoke, "Milady, what was he talking about?"

Artemis looked her worried lieutenant in the eyes, "What do you know of Hercules?"

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**Ew so that chapter was uber short... hopefully the next one'll be longer... Tell me what you think... and if you do review... please tell me something that you liked disliked etc... I feel so naggy its so gross XP well yea byee!**

**~ArtemisFrimm (gobble gobble)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**'Ello. First before you all freak out, I would like to say, yes, this is uber short and I apologize, I just needed to get back on my horse (Metaphorically speaking of course.). I also would like to apologize for not updating this story in... what, over two months? Hmm, at any rate, what happened was this; I wasn't entirely sure as to where I wanted to go with this story, and after some careful planning, and some serious debating over weather or not to continue, I have decided a) what the general plot for this story will be, and b) that this story has too much potential to just dump. So yes, I am continuing this as you can see below :) I would like to thank all of my avid readers for sticking with me, though I haven't given you much of a story yet, you have been emmensely supportive and I appreciate that. It has come to my attention, that the way I spelt Hercules, was actually Roman, not Greek, so I'm going to try to fix that in a few minutes :). **

**Last thought before I sign off and let you read this chapter, is this, I have recently opened a fictionpress acount, and have a poem and the start of a story on that site (my first published oc story) Unfortunately due to my newby-ness of that site, I have only gotten one review -_- If you'd be so kind as to check out my stories I'd greatly appreciate that, my fiction press name is Emilys-world-of-disbelief and the link to my profile is on my fanfiction profile page. Please check it out, it'd mean the world to me. Thanks agains**

**~ArtemisFrimm**

* * *

Artemis looked her worried lieutenant in the eyes, "What do you know of Hercules?"

Thalia frowned, momentarily caught off guard by the question, "Zoë helped him. That's why she was kicked out of the Garden of the Hesperides. Then he dumped her and she became your lieutenant. I remember Annabeth telling me about him having to complete the twelve labors to benefit mankind. He was also the star of a Disney movie from the 90s."

Artemis felt a flicker of a smile grace her lips at her lieutenant's comment but the smile passed just as quickly as it came, Artemis still wasn't sure how she was supposed to tell Thalia that she had killed Hercules.

"That's partially true, but do you know how he died?" Artemis asked.

Thalia shook her head, "No."

Artemis sighed, and prepared to explain when a loud crash followed by screaming could be heard coming from outside. Artemis and Thalia jumped up and ran out of the goddess's tent, bows in hand.

Hunters were running around trying to put out the fire that had erupted out of a few of the tents, a result of Apollo parking too closely to Artemis's campsite. Apollo hopped out of the sun, and grinned at the hunters that were either just waking up, or already rushing to put the fire out.

"Brother! Will you be more careful as to where you park the sun?" Artemis said.

Apollo grinned, "Sorry 'sis, you know I'm forgetful."

Before Artemis could respond, Kelly, one of Artemis's hunters walked over to her, "Um, Lady Artemis, is there anything you could do about the fire?" she asked.

Artemis shook her head, "Right," she gave a wave of her hand and the flames instantly went out; the tents not even charred.

Apollo grinned, "See no harm no foul."

Artemis scowled at her twin's obvious lack of discipline, "Apollo what do you want?"

Apollo shrugged, "I wanted to talk to my little sister."

Artemis ignored his last comment, "And whatever you wanted to talk to me about couldn't have waited until morning?"

"Technically it is morning, it is 3:10, and besides, I never see you and I wanted to spend some time with my baby sister." Apollo said.

Artemis scowled, "Apollo- ugh never mind, look, now is a bad time so please just-"

"- Make it quick? Yea no problem." Apollo said, stopping his sister from sending him away, "So, shall we adjourn in your tent, it's rather cold out here."

Artemis sighed, but invited Apollo into the warmth of her tent anyway. "What do you want?" she asked tersely.

"I needed to talk to you, about a premonition I had." Apollo said suddenly very serious.

Artemis frowned, "What kind of premonition? Did you have a dream?"

Apollo nodded, "Yes, but it started with a visit from our dearest cousin." Apollo said sarcasm dripped from his voice at the mention of their cousin.

"Hecate visited you?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, and she was surprisingly pleasant."

"That is odd for her." Artemis noted.

Apollo agreed silently, "Yeah and she really wanted to see you."

Artemis frowned, that was indeed odd of Hecate. She and Artemis had been constantly butting heads since early childhood. They never ended a meeting without arguing. "Why would she want to see me?"

"I actually wanted to know the same thing." Apollo said, and though his tone remained friendly, Artemis couldn't help but notice the accusation in his words.

"What exactly are you here to accuse me of Apollo, because I would _love _to hear your thoughts?" Artemis said coldly.

Apollo held up his hands in surrender, "I'm not accusing you Ar, I was just curious, I'm well aware of your bitterness towards Hecate, and I was just… shocked, to see her so eager to talk with you."

Artemis nodded and Apollo could tell that she was still irritated by his remark, "I'm sorry, I'm just concerned is all, this premonition was, well, it was about you."

Artemis looked up sharply and stared her twin in the eyes. "What do you mean it was about me?"

Apollo shook his head, his blue eyes troubled, "I'm not sure. It was strange, the world, it was blackened, and dark. I saw people running and screaming as dark shadows followed them. Olympus was destroyed and the last thing I saw before I woke up… it was a full moon."

Artemis frowned, unsure of what to make of Apollo's dream. She couldn't help but wonder if his dream had anything to do with the return of Hercules. "What if the full moon was symbolizing a date not me?"

Apollo shrugged, "I considered that, but- I don't know, maybe I'm just being to overly protective."

"Have you told anyone else about your dream?" Artemis asked.

Apollo shook his head, "I didn't want anyone to get the wrong conclusion. I wanted to run it by your first."

Artemis nodded, but was still unsure about the meaning of the premonition. Why did it bother her so much? Apollo seemed to notice his sister's discomfort, "Artemis, is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"

Artemis froze, _should I tell him? _She wanted to tell him, let someone else no her secret, but she still hoped there would be some way to avoid admitting her mistake to anyone, so at the last minute she shook her head, "No, I have nothing to say."

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Apollo said as he got up to leave.

"Tomorrow?"

Apollo nodded, "Yeah, didn't Hermes tell you? Apparently Hercules is back and so Zeus is holding a big meeting on Olympus."

Artemis nodded and bade Apollo farewell, completely lost in thought. Hercules was going to tell everyone. Then what would Zeus do?

Once Apollo had left, Thalia entered the goddess's tent, "Lady Artemis, you never finished answering my question. How did Hercules die?"

Mind still reeling, Artemis answered, "I killed him."


End file.
